Ojai There

Spa Ojai’s new café menu is the perfect prelude to a treatment.

Brought to you by Vital Juice

Spa fans already know that Spa Ojai, with its painted tiles, sparkling white adobe architecture and bubbling hot tubs, is among the most beautiful day trips from LA. But there was once a drawback. The café fare wasn’t so spa-ish.

Detoxers, rejoice: the spa’s Café Verde has a new menu, and we’re happy to report that lunch alone is now worth the trip. Our picks:

• Wellness juice. Apple, pomegranate and mango are whirled into a pink, foamy juice to boost immunity. Getthe recipe here!
• Vegetable spring roll. The roll, served cold, is stuffed with vermicelli, antioxidant-rich sprout salad and mushrooms. The best part: the lightly sweetened, crunchy peanut dipping sauce.
• Seared scallops. Three meaty-tasting jumbo scallops surround a bed of greens, sunflower seeds, tangerines and tomatoes.
• Grilled sesame tofu. Slices of tofu in a light shiitake mushroom-and-curry broth rest atop just enough brown rice with roasted heirloom carrots.
• Orange and strawberry fruit salad. This fresh fruit compote wowed us, topped with tart strawberry-lemon coulis.
• Flourless chocolate cake. Filled with ricotta chocolate chip mousse, this dessert is lower-cal than traditional cakes, and left us feeling sated, not stuffed.

Spa-ctacular.

Café Verde at Spa Ojai, 905 Country Club Rd., Ojai, (888) 697-8780, MAP